Weight Comparison Skywatcher Dobs

[Mamsoth]

This is my first post on this forum in around a decade. Feels real good to be back. I'm coming back to my first love after a loooong absence. Hoping to get myself a 16" Goto Dob.

 

 The viability of said purchase depends at least in part, on my ability to carry it from the garage to my "observing deck" (or Paving stone in the middle of the garden as its otherwise known ).

 

How does the weight of the Skywatcher 400p Skyliner (Truss tube) compare to my current scope the 300p Skyliner (Solid Tube). I'm thinking they should be about equal on account of the missing midsection, am I wrong about that?

 

***Pretty much got my answer, haven't been able to find the weight of my exact scope, but found a pretty much identical one. Fully assembled weighs around 33kg. The lightest 16" I can find is over double that. Now I understand the unanimity in the advice***

[MarsG76]

Hello and welcome back.

I can't vouch for the weight difference between the 300p and 400p, but my 354mm Skywatcher GOTO Dob is heavy... I added some wheels to the bast to wheel it around in the yard if need be... that definitely helped that.

But when I want to take it for remote viewing in a darker location, I always have to pull it apart to fit into the car.

 

 

[Beulah]

The 16" is very heavy. Around 8.5 stone in weight, without the goto elements. I used a sack truck to move mine. Difficult to put into the car, too. I ended up taking the components out to convert to full truss for the sole purpose of taking it out to remote sites. I'd say the single advantage of the truss tube at these sizes is the compactness when storing. 

The mirror is excellent!

The 200p in a synch to lug about but bulky and the 300p is manageable if you're fairly burly.

[Stargazer McCabe]

I’m conscious I’m not answering your question directly. So apologies for that. But I can comment on the topic from the perspective of being a 14” (350mm) manual Flextube owner. 

I’m 53. Fit. Ex Rugby Player... And while it’s obviously possible to shift a 16” Flextube as many do, I wouldn’t want to shift more than my 14” on a regular basis. 

So perhaps don’t just look at a straight weight comparison from the “Could I lift it?” perspective. But maybe look at it from “on a night of 3-4 hours potential observing time, would I want to ?”

I have a carry of about 60 meters to the point in our garden where we observe. It has a couple of shallow steps involved and a traverse of some decking which at times can be slightly slippery when frosty. 

I could of course manage a 16” if I had to. But my observation is that the bulk and weight of the 14” is at a point where it takes concentration and dexterity to manoeuvre it through a couple of double doors and up the garden. The base board is also a heavy, awkward carry. 

One thing I do find is that a Tele Gizmo 365 Scope Cover has been a great investment  I tend to set up in daylight, cover the scope and let it cool. After observing I cover the scope on many nights if the following day’s forecast is dry instead of shifting it all back inside in the dark and when I might be cold or tired. It’s then an easier shift in daylight...

If I had larger or heavier I could imagine finding excuses to not shift it on some nights with it, consequently, getting less use than the 14” does. 

Also, one of our vehicles is an X5 which has been used to shift the Dob at times. Again, I could get a 16” in, but the 14” does it with that bit more space for other items and luggage. 

Good luck with the research and holler if I can share anything further. 

[Timebandit]

 

 

Firstly welcome back .? 

 

Don't do it .

These are big heavy scopes. And if you intend moving it around all the time to observe ,you will not use the scope and it will become an expensive house ornament  .

If you need to" carry  " it anywhere you are either going to injure yourself. Or dread the task and hassle of getting the scope out of the garage ,and you will give up on the hobby.

The only way I would say get this scope. Is that you have dark sky's at your home already,to enable the 16" light gathering ability to be used fully. As in a light pollution area a lot of this aperture will be wasted. 

Also the scope needs to be on wheels ,so it can be pushed the distance and is far more manageable and doable. Do not even consider"carrying" a scope like this , on the second or third time in doing so you would of had enough. And in the garage the scope Will stay.

I hope this helps, aperture is king, but only if this aperture can be used (not stuck in a garage) and it needs dark sky's to really stretch its legs and use all that wonderful light gathering ability?

 

 

[Mamsoth]

Thanks everyone. Really appreciate the help. I think I will contact skywatcher and see if they can give me some exact figures. I don't drive so the furthest I would ever be transporting the scope would be about 20-30ft from garage to garden.

 

I used to manage  my 12" without problems. I'm thinking the advantage of a truss design would be much improved grip compared to my solid tube. 

 

If I have any luck with asking Skywatcher I'll edit my original post to include a definitive answer, might be of help to any future readers.

 

Thanks again for the help and the friendly welcome backs 

[Paul73]

I have got a 2nd hand Orion Optics UK 16” dob. It is a lot lot slimmer and lighter than the SW version. I carry the 50 ft base from garage to my normal observing spot, then pop the ota onto a sack barrow for the same trip. Think that the OTA weighs less than the base, but it is an awkward shape.

Pail

[Mamsoth]

3 hours ago, Paul73 said:

I have got a 2nd hand Orion Optics UK 16” dob. It is a lot lot slimmer and lighter than the SW version. I carry the 50 ft base from garage to my normal observing spot, then pop the ota onto a sack barrow for the same trip. Think that the OTA weighs less than the base, but it is an awkward shape.

Pail

Hi Paul, good to know that there is a lighter option out there. I had assumed the OTA would be heavier than the base, wrongly it would seem. If it comes to it, and the SW really isnt viable, I'll look around and see what the lightest 16" in my price range is.

[Paul73]

It is well worth making the jump to 16” provides the logistics work.... 

Good luck.

Paul

[scarp15]

16" Flextube go-to dob would surely be an observatory, fixed position instrument, or else a two person lift in two parts. I had a 12" flextube manual and that was quite agreeable to lift in two parts, take down a flight of stairs and transfer into a car to take on dark sky trips. Above that, particularly with the extra weight of a motor is getting into two person lift territory. My current OOUK 14" dob is a comparable weight to my former 12" flextube.

[Beulah]

14 minutes ago, scarp15 said:

16" Flextube go-to dob would surely be an observatory, fixed position instrument, or else a two person lift in two parts. I had a 12" flextube manual and that was quite agreeable to lift in two parts, take down a flight of stairs and transfer into a car to take on dark sky trips. Above that, particularly with the extra weight of a motor is getting into two person lift territory. My current OOUK 14" dob is a comparable weight to my former 12" flextube.

Yep, and you have to be careful not to knock the retracted truss tubes so that they bend - quite easy to do if you heft it about on a regular basis! Knocking one's shins on the mount is no laughing matter either...don't ask me how I know this.... 

I honestly think Meade Lightbridge has the design right if telescopes are to go in the partial truss direction... heavy blighters, too...

[25585]

Review of an ES 10 inch truss dob in Feb 2018 Astronomy Now magazine. Only a 10 inch, but its a

comprehensive review of one of that line.

Orion Optics CT 16 which has a carbon fibre tube weighs 34kg http://www.orionoptics.co.uk/CT/ct16.html probably as light as a solid tube OTA can be for 16.

Their CT14 is 29kgs, more manageable. CT12 and 12L, 22 and 26kgs respectively. The 12L would be OK for me, 59 going on 60. If you had a permanent dob stand outside, and only had to carry the OTA, I would say the 14 for you could be fine, but any more needs wheels under it. Maybe a garden path to your viewing spot.